Electrical signaling apparatus.



0. E. BEATLEY & P.. M. FELTWELL. ELECTRICAL SYIGN'ALING APPARATUS. APLm/wum men NOV. 13. 1914.

1,143,024 Patented June 15, 1915.

3O ljl lf /4 5 INVENTORS g kf g have invented 'IDOLN IBEATLEY AND PETER MAX FELTWELI), F SEWICIS'LEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL SIGNALING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DON E. BEATLnYand PETER MAX FELTWELL, residing at Sew ck- 4 ley, in the countyof Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Signaling Apparatus, of which improvement the following .is a specification.

Our invention relates to electrically operated signaling apparatus, and while its ap-' plication is not limited to any specific purpose, it is particularly well adapted to be used on'automobiles, trucks, and like vehicles to notify pedestrians and the drivers of other .machines the direction in which it is desired to steer the signal-provided machine. 7 The object of our invention is to improve the general construction and operation of.

such apparatus, and to provide a construction wherein electrical energy is required only for the purpose of moving a pointing signal and not for maintaining it in one or another desired position.

A further object of our invention is to provide a construction having the operating .featurejust described, and wherein an electric lamp circuit may be closed by the signal operating mechanism; and be kept closed as long as the pointing signal is at one position and after the breaking of the circuit used for operating such signal.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, which forms part of. our specification, We have illustrated one embodiment of our in .vention.

. Figure 1 i-s a plan view of the signaling apparatus; Fig.2 a combined elevation and sectional view, the plane of view being in dicated by the broken line IIIT, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a'diagrammatic representat' on ofthe electrical wiring and of the essential ele- 'ments of the construction shown in Figs.

1 and 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are views to enlarged scale of a detail of construction.

In the several figures like numerals are used to designate like parts.

In the practice of our invention, as illus trated herein, we provide a plurality of electro-magnets, each adapted 1 to be separately energized, and arranged in such positions that a movable magnetic member, lying in the fields of magnetization of all the magnets, may be attracted to a position proxi mate to which ever magnet may be energized.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 13', 1914. Serial No. 371,856.

Patented June 15,;1Qi5.

A pointing signal is operated by theinbvable member, the arrangement being such that, when such member is in a position proximate to one or another of the'inagiiets," the signal will be pointing in a desiredj'direction. The magnetic attractive forcesare used only for moving the signal, a suitable catch being provided to hold the'signal in one or another of the desired positions'afieri to move the signal: to;

anal, and for this purpose eferrmg now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the-drawings, three electro-magnets 1, 1 and 1 are mounted radially upon a suitable block 2, andithe movable member 3, 4 is pivoted upon a support 5. the'arm 3 netization of all th end of thev arm 4 which mesh with a shaft 7 which carries e magnets. The outer 3, 4 in positions proximate to any ofthe magnets may be of any desired construction, that shown 'herein (seen best in Figs-4c and 5) consisting of a -against the lower means of a spring 10, and adaptedfto enter one or another of-the depressions 11, 11*- and 11", depending upon whether the arm 3 is nearest to the magnets 1. 1 and 1", respecis provided with teeth pinion 6 secured. to a the pointing signal or arrow 8 The catchfor holding the member f lying'in the fields of magball 9 held yieldino'ly face of the arm 4'- v--- r tively. The catch is of suflicient strengthto hold the member 3, 4, and hence the pointer 8, in oneposition or another after such member has been moved by the attractive force of an energized magnet, but insulticient for this purpose has been energized. To separately energize each of the mags nets, the wiring and the operating switch may be such as is illustrated in Fig.3." As shown therein, the coil connected to a common conductor 12, which when another magnet of each magnetis is connected by a conductor 13 to one side of a battery 14, the other side of which is connected by a conductor to a conducting element 16, having three spring arms 17,!

- as seen in. Figs. 1 and 2. Extending from,

and electrically connected to, the contactors 19, 19 and 19 thereare conductors 22, 22 and 22*, which are electrically connected to the. several magnets 1, 1 and 1, respectively. By this arrangement it will be seen that, when one of the buttons has been pressed, a circuit will be closed through the battery and one of the electro-magnets; for example, by pressing the button 20, the arm 17 will be brought into contact with the contactor 19, so that acircuit will be closed through the arm 17, contacts 19, conductor 22, electro-magnet 1, conductors 23, 12, 13, butts-r5 14, conductor 15 and conducting elementld, the result being that the arm 3 will be moved from its position proximate to either of the magnets 1 or 1 to a position proximate to the magnet 1, and the pointer 8 will consequently assume the position indicated in full lines in the drawings.

In the illustrative embodiment of our invention two signal. lamps 23 and 23 are shown mounted on the block 2 at opposite sides of the pointer 8. The globes of these lamps may be of different colors, as forexample red and green, and means are provided to close a circuit through one or the other of the lamps when the pointer is moved to the rightist left of the position in-' dicated in full lines. For this purpose both lamps are connected on :one side to a common conductor '24, and on their other sides .to conductors -.-.-5 and 25 which in turn are. electrically connected respectively to contact posts 26 and 26*, against which posts the arm 4 bears when the arm 3 is in a. position proximate to the magnets 1 and 1", respectively. The member 3, 4 is of conducting. material, as well as the post 5 on which it is pivoted. A conductor 27 is electrically connected to the post 5 and to niaaoa'e post an opposite to that indicated in Fig. 1, the spring arm 30 will be out of contact with the contactor 29, so that the lamps 23 and 23 will not be lighted according to the position of the pointer. This is the arrangement of circuits intended for daylight use for automobiles. The movable parts being in the positions shown in the drawings,

pressing the button 20 will close a circuit through themagnet 1 with the result that the arm 3 will be moved to a position near the magnet 1 and the pointer 8 moved to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The circuit thus closed will be through conductor 22 magnet 1 conductors 12 and 13, battery 14, conductor 15, conducting ele ment 16, arm 17*and contactor 19. As soon as the arm 3 has been moved the circuit may again be opened by removing pressure upon the button 20, and the arm 3, '4 will be held in its new position by means of the yielding catch, the ball9 being then in the recess 11. When it is desired to return the pointer to its normal position, as indicated in-full lines, the button 20 may be pressed to close the circuit through the magnet 1, the attractive force of which will overcome the tendency of the catch. to hold the arm 3 in its position near the magnet 1. In. a similar Way the arm 3' may be moved toward the magnet 1 by pressing the button 20, and it will be understood that the arm may be moved to this last mentioned position from positions proximate to either the magnet 1 or 1.

At night time, when it is desirable to 111- dicate directions by both the pointer and the lamps, the button 31 is pushed to the position indicated in Fig. 1, thereby press be effected by pressing the button 20, the

operation being the same as explained in the above paragraph. When the member 3,- 4

has been thus moved, the arm 4 thereof will be in electrical contact with the contact post 26*, so that a circuit will be closed through the lamp 23 and the battery 14. This cir cuit will be through conductors 28 and 24, lamp 23, conductor 25*, contact post 26, arm 4 of the member 3, 4, support 5, conductors 27, 12 and 13, battery 14, conductors 15 and 32, armv30 and contactor 29. Such circuit will remain closed as long as the arm 4 is in contact with the post 26*, and after the circuit has been opened through the magnet 1. In a similar manner the lamp 23 may be lighted and kept burning when the magnet 1" is energized.

When the apparatus which We have described is used on an automobile, it may be placed in any suitable position, preferably on the front of'the car, and, when desirable, a similar apparatus may be placed at the other end of said arm being provlded' with rear by.a mere duplication of parts and wirfor placing said lamps in circuit with said ing, aswill be readily understood by those 'magnets, a contactor in circuit with eacH skilled in the art. I of said lamps, each contactor being adapted 20 We claim as our invention: to be engaged by said arm and when thus In a signaling apparatus, the combination engaged to close a circuit through a lamp, of three radially arranged electromagnets, and a catch for'holding said arm in contact an electric switch in circuit therewith and with one or the other of said contactors after adapted to make and break an'electric cir- 4 the circuit through "a magnet has been 2 cuit through one or another of said magnets, broken.' a horizontally-disposed pivotally-mounted In testimony whereof we have hereunto arm having one end thereof in the-.field of set our-hands. magnetization of each of said magnets, the DON E BEATLEY.

ratchet teeth; a vertically disposed rod pro.-. I PETERMAX FELTWELL vided with a pinion meshing with said teeth Witnesses: v and having an indicating arm secured .to its PAUL N. v CRITcHLoW,

outer end, a pair of signal lamps, means FRANCIS J. ToMAssoN. 

